Carol Stricklin believes life should be fun.
And for the 81-year-old Arlington resident part of that fun comes from the Senior Olympics.
Stricklin has competed in the Senior Olympics for more than 25 years, amassing more than 500 medals at the district, state and national levels.
Stricklin, whose favorite sports are basketball and track and field, said her ultimate goal is to still be competing in the Senior Olympics at 100.
“That’s always been my goal,” she said. “There has been some threats lately, but I’m still going after it.”
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Those threats have largely been health related, as Stricklin is dealing with Stage 4 cancer and has undergone three different types of chemotherapy for the past two years.
Facing a series of cancer diagnoses
When Stricklin turned 60, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After going through chemotherapy and recovering from ovarian cancer, she was diagnosed with breast cancer four years later.
“It was really not that far advanced,” Stricklin said. “I didn’t have to have chemo. I did radiation, but it did take me out of commission for a while, but I got through that.”
Unfortunately, the disease surfaced again. This time, the cancer started with a tumor in her gallbladder, which led to the organ being removed in March 2023. The cancer was originally defined as an adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder. It has since metastasized to other parts of her abdominal wall and groin.
Her diagnosis is now “malignant neoplasm of pancreatic duct,” classified as stage 4, according to Stricklin.
She currently goes to Nashville for treatment, where she's taking part in a clinical trial at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute.
“I am happy to be in the clinical trial,” Stricklin said. “There has been some encouraging factors.”
Finding joy in the Senior Olympics
Despite her health issues, Stricklin has remained resilient and upbeat — and hasn't lost her passion for the Senior Olympics.
She said she draws inspiration by encouraging her peers to participate.
“Anytime I run into somebody that I see some potential in, I tell them you need to be in Senior Games,” she said. “... Anytime I can get new groups going into the Senior Games, and seeing them have fun, is a joy to me because life should be fun.”
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This year, before she was forced to stop because of the cancer, Stricklin won 15 medals in the state Senior Olympics in Franklin in June. She noted she has competed in 28 events at the state level and six to eight in the nationals.
“It’s hard to win medals at the nationals, but my pride and joy is six years ago when I turned 75, where I did get a gold medal in triple jump,” said Stricklin, who was inducted into the Tennessee Senior Olympics Hall of Fame in 2022. “That was the first individual achieved gold medal that I’ve gotten at the nationals, which was exciting.”
Stricklin joked that when she was dealing with ovarian cancer that she had even more energy as she competed in the Senior Olympics.
“It’s interesting — it seemed like when I have cancer that I do better,” she said while laughing. “The year that I turned 60, I was really pumped with all of it. I was high jumping about as well as any 60-year-old woman could do that has ever done it before.”
Making a way in the computer industry
While Stricklin is known for her athletic prowess, she also found success in the world of computers. She worked in computer system-related fields for more than 30 years, beginning in 1967 as a systems analyst.
During the 1990s, she worked for IBM. She designed processes to assess the exposure and risks of computer applications crossing into the year 2000, along with processes to avoid or reduce the risk. On behalf of IBM, Stricklin managed client projects to implement the "year 2000" solutions.
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Stricklin retired from IBM at the end of 1999 and became a consultant instructor, teaching and assisting in developing classes in business analysis and project management. She taught the curriculum across the United States and internationally, including in England, Scotland, Australia, Poland and Canada.
"The last several years, I managed online classes," she said.
Having faith and leaning on family through health struggles
In addition to her activity in the Senior Olympics, Stricklin said one of her other passions is being involved in her Sunday school at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Lakeland.
Stricklin noted the 30 to 35 people in her Sunday school are her peers. Instead of having a regular Sunday school teacher, the group has different people volunteer to teach lessons — including Stricklin.
"I love doing that and I do that periodically," she said. "My Sunday school class is just like a bunch of brothers and sisters. When I'm teaching them, they know my favorite word is joy.
"I got several little plaques around my house that got the word joy in it. I always tell them as long as you can find joy in your days, life is worth struggling for."
Even as she goes through another bout with cancer, Stricklin knows she isn't going through it alone. She appreciates the strong family support that surrounds her. Stricklin has two children — daughter, Cristie Pellegrin, and son, Brian Stricklin — along with five grandchildren between the ages 21-37.
Stricklin said her family has been by her side through everything — surgeries, chemo, radiation, the good weeks and the bad.
"Support from my family is awesome, children, grandchildren, son-in-law and daughter-in-law," she said. "They help get me to appointments as needed. They celebrate with me when we get a report of progress, and they encourage me when results are questionable and when new discoveries are made. ...
"They bring my favorite foods to me and take me into their homes when I need extra care. It would be a difficult journey without their support and without their love."
Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected] or 901-293-1610.
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